The Detroit Lions went 15-2 last season. Yet many seemed to give up on them after one week this season.
The Lions aren’t in big trouble after all. They started 0-1 with a lopsided loss to the Green Bay Packers but followed up a 52-point game in Week 2 by pulling off a huge win Monday night at the Baltimore Ravens, with their offense putting together drives of 98 and 96 yards as they beat one of the NFL’s premier teams.
Detroit is 2-1 after an impressive 38-30 win at Baltimore. The Ravens are 1-2 with losses to the Bills and Lions, two of the best teams in the NFL. Baltimore is better than its record. But the Lions were the better team on Monday night, with their offense being as efficient as ever and their defense not allowing Lamar Jackson to go wild against it. That unit sacked Jackson seven times.
And when the Lions had a chance to put the game away on fourth-and-short inside of the two-minute warning, Jared Goff came through with a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for the first down to seal it. David Montgomery followed with a 31-yard touchdown run that put the Lions up two scores with 1:50 left.
Detroit looked bad in a season opening loss at the Packers. The offense got next to nothing, which led to a week of concern that the offense couldn’t recover from losing coordinator Ben Johnson over the offseason. Maybe the Packers defense is just really good. Or the Lions had an off day that won’t repeat too often.
Either way, the Lions are still very much alive and well.
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There’s more kickoff mishaps as Bates’ kick goes out of bounds and the Ravens start from their own 40. Jackson’s first down pass to Zay Flowers goes for seven yards, then Muhammad sacks Jackson again for a loss of seven. Jackson throws an incomplete pass on third down, but the fourth down punt bounces to the Detroit 4. (3:36)
Goff, St. Brown connect for 18-yard touchdown, Lions and Ravens tied 21-21 in third quarter
Tyler Loop’s kickoff is short of the landing zone as the Lions start from their own 40 after the penalty. Gibbs takes a big hit for a gain of seven yards on second down, then Goff finds LaPorta for another third down conversion. Gibbs gets two straight carries for 10 yards, then the Lions offense gets creative as Montgomery throws it to Goff, who then finds an open St. Brown for 17 yards and a first down. Goff lobs it up to St. Brown who catches it over Humphrey for the 18-yard touchdown and it’s another tie in this back-and-forth game. (5:13)
Lions drop two near interceptions, Ravens take advantage with Andrews 15-yard receiving TD as Baltimore takes 21-14 lead in third quarter
(Start of 2nd Half) Ravens start with possession as Ali returns the kickoff to the Baltimore 27. Henry gains nine yards on two touches as Roy Lopez is called for a penalty before the third down snap to give the Ravens a first down. Jackson’s pass to Kolar is almost intercepted by Brian Branch on first down, but then the quarterback completes two passes for 10 yards to keep the drive going. Henry runs for four yards on first down, then Kolar gets open on the play-action pass for 15 yards. Andrews catches the jump ball over Branch for 20 yards as it’s now first-and-goal at the Detroit 10. Henry is called for the HB pass like it’s Madden, and it’s almost intercepted by D.J. Reed. Jackson is chased on second down and sacked by Al-Quadin Muhammad, but the quarterback recovers and throws a great pass to Andrews over Alex Anzalone for a 15-yard touchdown as the Ravens take the lead for the first time tonight. (8:51)
Ravens score on their last drive of the second quarter, Detroit and Baltimore tied at 14 at halftime
Ravens take over from the Detroit 49 with two timeouts as Jackson runs for an easy 13 yards and gets out of bounds with 48 seconds remaining. Jackson scrambles away from multiple Lions and finds Hill for 4 yards. 38 seconds left on second-and-6 as DeAndre Hopkins makes a nice toe-tapping catch for 13 yards to stop the clock again. Now at the Detroit 19, Hopkins draws the pass interference flag on Terrion Arnold and now the Ravens are 3 yards away from the end zone with 27 seconds left. Jackson finds Bateman for the touchdown and the Ravens tie this game up with 24 seconds left. Just a few seconds left after the kickoff return as the Lions get to the Baltimore 48 as Bates will attempt a 67-yard field goal but the kick is no good. (End of 1st Half)
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Lions start from their own 20 after the stop and fumble from Jackson. After a penalty on the Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey, it’s now first-and-10 from the 25, but Goff throws two straight incompletions, then the Ravens stop St. Brown on a third-down screen as the Ravens use their first timeout with 1:05 left. Fox’s punt is almost blocked, and a penalty is called on the Lions after the play. (56 seconds remaining)
The ensuing kickoff goes well for the Ravens as Rasheen Ali is stopped by Jake Bates at the Baltimore 49. Henry gets 4 yards on first down, then the Lions stop Jackson the ground for no gain. Now it’s third-and-6 as Jackson scrambles away and finds Rashod Bateman for 10 yards and a first down. Jackson’s heating up as he steps up and finds a wide-open Devontez Walker for a huge gain of 34 yards, as it’s now first-and-goal at the Detroit 3. The Lions stop Henry two times as the two-minute warning hits. After the break, it’s Zach Cunningham stopping Henry for a loss of a yard, then the Ravens’ fourth-down play is stopped as Jack Campbell strips Jackson and the Lions take over. (1:24)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) tries to cross the goal line as Baltimore Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan (40) and safety Malaki Starks (24) try to stop him during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Baltimore.
Lions go 98 yards in almost 11 minutes, take 14-7 lead over Ravens in second quarter
(Start of 2nd Quarter) Montgomery makes a short catch, gets a good block from LaPorta then lowers the shoulder to gain 13 yards for a first down to open this second quarter. Goff shows he isn’t the only quarterback in this game that can scramble as he runs forward for 5 yards, then the Ravens defense shuts down Gibbs again for a loss of three. Now it’s third-and-8 as Goff finds LaPorta again to move the chains. Montgomery gets nothing on first down, then dances ahead on second down to make it third-and-1, where Gibbs gets just enough for another third-down conversion from this Lions offense. First-and-10 from the Baltimore 47 is a catch from Gibbs for 9 yards. There’s three players in the backfield behind Goff as Montgomery runs ahead for 8 yards to move the sticks. Montgomery gets the first-down carry for another first down. After 9 total yards from two Gibbs carries, it’s third-and-1 as Goff audibles into a QB sneak for another first down. Now it’s first-and-goal from the Baltimore 8 as Gibbs makes the catch and is stopped a yard short of the goal line, then Montgomery finishes the job for the touchdown on this long drive. (5:55)
Lions, Ravens both score rushing touchdowns on first drives, game tied 7-7 after one quarter
Correction, this drive starts at the Detroit 1 because of the penalty as Gibbs gains 4 yards on first down. David Montgomery’s first carry goes for a loss of a yard as it’s now third-and-7, as Goff finds Sam LaPorta against the blitz for 10 yards and a first down. That’s the final play of this opening quarter. (End of 1st Quarter)
Ravens go play action on first down as Charlie Kolar makes a 7-yard catch on first down, then Henry is stonewalled on second down. There’s a miscommunication between Jackson and Justice Hill on third down as the Lions force a three-and-out of their own, but a holding penalty on the punt sets the Lions up on their own 4-yard line. (1:43)
Another kickoff is just short of the end zone as Saylors gets a hole until he falls ahead to the Detroit 32. Goff throws a pass that’s called a fumble, which loses 9 yards and the Lions only gain 8 yards in two plays for a quick three-and-out stop for the Ravens. Jack Fox boots the first punt in this game that sets the Ravens up at their own 26. (3:16)
Ravens answer back with Henry’s 28-yard TD run, game tied at 7
Now here comes the Ravens offense, starting from their own 20 after the kickoff hits the landing zone before falling into the end zone. Lamar Jackson gets started early with a 19-yard pass to Mark Andrews. After a penalty on Aidan Hutchinson makes it first-and-5, the first carry from Derrick Henry goes for 7 yards to move the chains. Jackson keeps it on the read option for another first down, then on the next play Kerby Joseph stops Andrews on a 8-yard completion. The Lions stop Henry for a short gain to force a third-and-1, but they can’t stop Henry on an untouched 28-yard touchdown run. The extra point is good and the Ravens tie this game up quick. (5:40)
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) is tackled by a host of Ravens defenders during the first half.
Lions score on first drive, Gibbs’ 1-yard touchdown gives Detroit early 7-0 lead
(Start of game) Lions start with a handoff to Jahmyr Gibbs for a short gain, then Jared Goff finds a wide-open Jameson Williams for 24 yards and a first down. Gibbs loses a few yards on first down then gets the Lions to a third-and-6, where Goff again connects with Williams for 19 yards and a first down. In the red zone for the first time at the Baltimore 18, Gibbs gains 7 yards on two touches to make it third-and-3, but Goff throws an incomplete pass. Lions stay on the field for fourth down as Amon-Ra St. Brown’s first catch is for 7 yards and another first down. Now 4 yards away from the end zone, Gibbs gains 3 on first-and-goal, then finds a hole for the touchdown as the Lions strike first. (9:16)
Kickoff
Welcome to “Monday Night Football,” featuring the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens. Two 1-1 teams looking to gain ground in their respective divisions, this should be a good one. Ravens are in their all-black alternates for this night game, while the Lions counter with all-white road uniforms. Ravens kickoff to the Lions as Jacob Saylors returns it to the Detroit 33.
Preview
After getting their swagger back last week, the Lions head into their first prime-time game of the season, traveling to Baltimore for a Monday night showdown against the Ravens.
Both squads recovered from disappointing Week 1 performances with dominant showings in Week 2. The Lions took care of business in their home opener with a 52-21 throttling of the Bears, while the Ravens defeated the Browns.
Detroit has gotten very comfortable playing on Monday nights under Dan Campbell, with a 3-1 record. The Lions won both of their Monday games in prime time last season.
But this Ravens squad brings the biggest challenge of the Campbell era: containing a mobile quarterback. The Lions will have their hands full trying to contain two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. They also remember what happened the last time these two teams faced off in 2023, and that was before ageless wonder Derrick Henry joined the team.